1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a data processing system for displaying in the form of graphic patterns resources to be used in processing by the system. More particularly, the invention is concerned with an improvement of a user interface (man-machine interface) in a data processing system, such as a work station, high-performance personal computer and the like, appropriate for use in offices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a hitherto known means for facilitating interaction or communication between a user and a machine in a work station, a system has attracted attention in which resources usable by a user are taken for objects which are then displayed in terms of picture/character graphic patterns (hereinafter also referred to as the icon graphic pattern or simply as an icon or graphic pattern), wherein the user selects the objects to be used from the icons displayed, being followed by commanding a procedure to be executed using the selected object, to thereby proceed with the data processing. In this connection, reference may be made, for example, to an article entitled "Technology for Implementing User Interface of Work Station" in a Japanese publication "Information Processing", Vol. 25, No. 2 (February 1984), pp. 103-110, published by "Information Processing Society of Japan".
In the hitherto known system, however, the icon graphic patterns are inherently specific to the system and it was impossible to adopt the particular icon patterns in conformance with the environment in which the user works. Besides, in the hitherto known system, a plurality of names of displays can not be imparted to a single resource, differing from the case of logic names for a file, by way of example.
Such being the circumstances, when the prior art work station is to be applied to a multi-user environment in which one and the same apparatus or system is to be alternately used by a plurality of users, it is impossible to implement on the display unit the work environment optimum to each user, who is thus forced to use the ready-made icon graphic patterns and the resource display names.